Foolish pride and changing love
by Satou Kimura
Summary: Allen/OC oneshot. Contemporary AU. They were trying to change for each other, trying to cover their own flaws. Both of them too stubborn and afraid to admit their faults, they stumble and collide.


**Title: Foolish pride and changing love**

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><p><strong>Allen Walker and Own Character Oneshot.<strong>

A/N: Well, I found this on my files as I was deleting things, and I thought 'why the hell not' so I uploaded it. Wrote this around 2-3 year back. Made some minor changes like grammar and things, but it's mostly untouched.

Enjoy!

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><p>'Lena. I really do.'<p>

Hot angry tears sprang from the girl's chocolate brown eyes and she could do nothing but to let them run down her flushed cheeks. Oh, how she _hated_ tears.

'_Liar._ You're fucking lying.'

Allen shook his head in disbelief.

'What? You told me to tell the truth, and now I'm doing it! Lenale-'

Allen bit his tongue. Shit. He didn't mean to say that. He really didn't.

There was a look of shock, hurt, betrayal, and then fury.

'It was always Lenalee wasn't it? I-I'm just a _replacement_ for that dear Lenalee of yours.'

Allen let out an exasperated sigh.

'What? Was that what you always thought? Because for once, I'm telling the how I feel! I'm sure you're going to go running to your _Lavi-kun_ anyway!'

'Oh,' Her words dripping in venom 'don't you dare fucking bring Lavi into this!' She almost looked like a tiny wild animal, about to pounce onto the British man in front of her.

Allen's face darkened and an uncharacteristic scowl was adorned on his features.

'If you aren't going to listen, I'm not going to be here, wasting time talking to you.'

'…'

A silence; full of foolish pride and bittersweet love.

The white haired man whipped his head to the side, refusing to look at the Asian girl. 'Sure.'

They stalked off in opposite directions; both stubbornly determined not to look back, despite the throb of their hearts slamming painfully in their chest.

They both hated to be liars.

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><p>'Allen…?'<p>

The uncertainty in the young girl's voice was clear, which corresponded to the look on her face. The said man jumped slightly in his seat before composing himself and plastering a smile on his face for the girl.

'Lena. I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that.'

The crease between the East Asian girl's eyebrows furrowed deeper, and she drummed her fingers on the tabletop in annoyance.

'You shouldn't be daydreaming, _senpai_. If Cross catches you, he'll fucking castrate you!'

This particular kouhai of Allen's never ceased to amaze him by her choice of words. She was crude and so similar to the idiotic Kanda Yuu in so many ways.

'Lena,' Allen chided gently 'You shouldn't let Kanda's usage of words rub off you like that.'

Lena bit her bottom lip gently and her head seemed to droop a little.

'Ah- Sorry. I was just a little... irritated.'

But the major difference was that Lena was proactively trying to change her ways and she actually apologized. Kanda would never. Ever. Allen knew it.

'I'll just… here' She handed him a paper folder meekly, looking at the ground. 'Cross told me to hand you these files. When you're done reading them, just… give me a shout.'

Allen smiled warmly at the girl.

'Okay. Sorry about that.'

Lena gave Allen an odd look and walked back to her seat. It was as if to say: _what the hell are you sorry for?_

…In a more polite, refined manner of course. Lena would always try to change her use of words.

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><p>Allen looked stubbornly away from Lenalee and she gave an annoyed sigh.<p>

'Why do you suddenly get so childish and stubborn when it comes to Lena-chan, hmm?'

A deep pink blossomed across his cheeks and turned to glare at Lenalee.

'I'm not being childish! She is! She keeps making these stupid accusations…'

Lenalee reached across the table to get a sip of her iced latte, seeming deep in thought.

'Maybe… you both did something wrong then.'

Allen stayed silent. He supposed that he was wrong to have said her name wrong, and to have lied to her before, smiling fake…

Lena's tears and look of betrayal seemed to surface with greater vividness, and the Brit felt a pang at his chest.

Damn. Lenalee was already making him feel guilty.

'Then you should both go say sorry.'

'What if she doesn't say it…?' Oh the foolish pride.

Lenalee crossed her slender legs.

'Then… Lena-chan would be wrong for not saying sorry.'

Allen nodded absent-mindedly as he formulated a plan to allow him and Lena to meet alone.

A simple 8-bit tune followed by customary vibrations sounded through the Starbucks.

Lenalee flipped her her sleek black iphone case open to glance at the message on the screen.

Would he be able to ask her out on a date? Probably not. Bump into her in the office? Nahh, she never moved from her desk. Lunch? No one would turn down food right? Did that make him superficial? He was getting desperate now.

'Allen!' Lenalee had been tapping softly him on the shoulder for the past minute.

'Oh sorry. Yes?'

A wide smile stretched across her face and the Brit involuntarily moved backwards.

'Lavi said he's forcing Lena to stay at his house. Lets go.'

'Lavi?' For a brief moment, jealousy soared through his chest, before settling as a dull rock in his stomach. 'I don't think we should disturb—'

Lenalee rolled her eyes as she stood up, Latte in one hand, Allen's arm in the other. 'Don't be stupid; Lavi and Lena aren't in that kind of relationship anymore. Don't get your panties in a knot.'

Allen frowned at the _panties in a knot_ comment, but stood up reluctantly.

He did suppose getting a ride to Lavi's place beats asking for her forgiveness in the office.

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><p>'Can you just— can we just talk about something else? Quantum physics, English Literature, seriously, take your pick, just <em>not <em>that idiot.'

Lavi chuckled as he poured the hot tea into a mug for Lena. He plopped a sugar cube in and handed her the mug.

'I'm guessing he said it?'

'Said what?' She knew she was just digging her own grave. It was obvious that Lavi and Lena both knew what they were talking about.

Lavi sat down on the vacant space next to the girl on the red couch and set the tea on the desk before them. Lavi took note of Lena's reluctance to look him in the eye and a slight pink tinge at her ears.

Lena could feel Lavi's gaze on her and inwardly cursed.

'Hmm? I think we both know that—'

Lavi took Lena's chin in his fingers ('What are you-!') and gently turned her head to make it face him. '—He said I. Love. You.' He articulated each word and leaned his face closer to the Asian girl's until the tips of their noses almost touched.

She let out a small yelp and shoved him off roughly, cheeks stained a bright red as her thoughts raced back to the sheer joy she had felt before disappointment when the white haired Brit had said that. It was the few words that Lena had imagined Allen say in her wildest dreams.

Laugher erupted from the red head and he leaned back to drop himself onto the couch, snorting occasionally.

The girl snarled, unsuccessfully attempting to conceal her tomato red face with the large mug of tea in her hands. 'Asshole, you did it on purpose!'

'Well, _duh_. Did you see your _face_? God, that was hilarious.'

Lena looked away, frowning. 'Of course I didn't see my face. I don't have eyes floating in front of me. For a genius, you sure are stupid.'

As she busied herself with her mug, Lavi flipped his phone out and typed in a short message _Lena's with me. Get Moyashi over._

'I know you're texting Lenalee.'

Lavi glanced over at Lena and brought his phone out, thumb poised on the send button. He didn't look surprised.

'Do you want me to send it?' Lavi said this gently, green eye glowing with warmth. 'Just shake your head if you don't want me to.'

Silence.

Lena bit her lip before looking away and said softly.

'Y—you can send it.'

Lavi smiled and ruffled her hair with his free hand, pressing 'send' with the other. 'Gotcha.'

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><p>'Lenalee, I really am, not too sure about this.'<p>

The said Chinese girl slammed the palm of her hand on to the doorbell. Sometimes Lenalee was uncharacteristically cruel.

The door slammed open and he inwardly thanks the gods for his luck; Allen's face would surely have been crushed into a bloodied mess if he had been just a centimeter closer.

The younger Asian girl stood at the doorway, nodding to Lenalee politely before stalking back into the apartment, not even acknowledging the white haired Brit's existence. It took almost all of Allen's self restraint not to turn on his heel and blurt out a childish insult.

'Allen, Lenalee, thanks for dropping by!' Lavi's obnoxious mob of red hair popped out from behind the kitchenette's counter.

'Lena's been giving me headaches. I swear, she's making me age quicker.' He continued to blabber on as he ushered the two newcomers into the apartment.

Lenalee laughed, attempting to lift the awkward silence and directing attention away from the way Lena and Allen were pointedly looking away from each other.

'Well…' Lenalee cleared her throat, unsure of how to finish the sentence. 'Maybe you guys should start by looking at each other. We can't leave you alone to talk if you… keep doing this.'

Silence.

Lavi and Lenalee both observed the pair. Lena was sitting on the sofa, looking out of the window. Allen was standing, elbows propped onto the kitchenette's counter with a look of indifference on him. At the comment that Lenalee had made, the pair visibly tensed, their posture screaming: '_over my dead body'_.

As if they both seemed to realize, simultaneously, 'I need to do this', the girl whipped her head over in one fluid movement and directed her glare at the male, and Allen also moved his head to direct his poker face over to her.

Lavi scratched his head, not seeing the situation getting better.

'Um, Lenalee. I've got to go grocery shopping. Like, right now.'

Lenalee clapped her hands together, more than eager to let the fuming pair settle their scores alone. 'I'll come along!'

A stumble, ruffle of hair and a click of keys later, Allen and Lena were the only ones left in the house.

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><p>Lena was weary. She was tired of this drama that her feelings brought along and it was exhausting to keep this glare up.<p>

She lowered her eyes and let out a sigh, rubbing her knuckles at her temples as she did so.

'Sorry.' It was so quiet that Allen almost missed it, but it was no mistaking what she had said. The sound waves had travelled perfectly in the silent apartment.

'I'm sorry for being such a prick. I just don't really know anymore.'

Lena glanced up, allowing the silence to be an indicator for Allen to speak. When he didn't speak, she continued.

'Lenalee. She's gorgeous. She's perfect. It would make no sense for you to like me. I was… I was jealous, and I took it out on you.'

Sigh.

'It's an easy mistake to make. Lena and Lenalee are similar names. I… I was just being way too sensitive.'

In that brief monologue of hers, she had said it all. Her fears and her weaknesses. The very ugly side of her that she didn't want anyone to see, let alone Allen Walker, the most beautiful person she believed herself to have the fortune of meeting. Kind Allen, caring Allen… why would Allen want to be with Lena at all? Tears that she had vowed she would not let out in front of any living soul were now running down her cheeks in fat droplets.

'Lena. You have the most colorful language I have ever heard from a girl your size.' Allen chuckled slightly, 'But you know that and you're willing to change.'

Allen strode over and plopped down on the seat next to the girl. He cleared his throat and patted her head smiling slightly. Lena continued to hang her head down, ashamed of her tears. Allen was being so kind again and accepting all her flaws and watching her cry like some _idiot_. She chewed on her bottom lip.

'You,' Allen continued to smooth down her silk tresses, 'are so brave, so charming; and, Lena, I also need to apologize. I've been getting your name wrong so many times now and I think it's not excusable.'

He gently tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear, and his hand trails down to cup her cheek gently.

'I'm so sorry, Lena.' he whispered.

Lena could only give a little nod and a sniff as he pulls her into a warm hug.

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><p>'Holy shit— '<p>

'Is Lena crying?' Lenalee bit her bottom lip as she strained to listen through the door.

'Yeh, do you think we can sneak in? I've never seen Lena cry before—'

'SHHH. Lavi!'

The door slammed open and this time, Lavi wasn't so lucky.


End file.
